was green now its cloudy

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T

Texas Who Dat

0
Aug 29, 2013
4
North Dallas Texas
Ok, So I am a total newbie to pools...

We bought the kids a 16 X 48 AG this summer and the family has loved it even more than I expected. I'd dig a hole in the backyard for a bigger/better pool right now if i weren't renting this house! I maintained the pool all summer with the little walmart test kit and lots (lots) of 1" tabs, and just a little pH up. The honeymoon has now ended. One of our dogs got sick, really sick and my daily testing of the pool stopped because he demanded so much, I was exhausted (sadly, he passed away-he was in the end stages of cancer). I forgot to put in chlorine tabs; it started getting green. I put in new tabs & shocked it then walked away. It had a very light green tint. A day or so later my filter needed replacing (I didn't know then I could clean these filters & use again--if it wasn't coated badly). So I turned the pool off--not wanting to burn up the pump--24 hrs later I had a true swamp. Green, green, green.

I was on emotional overload after my beagle passed so I didn't look at the pool for 2 days. By then it was dark dark green and SMELLY! Finally, I turned Google--because Google knows everything--Following some sketchy looking pool dude on you tube I raised my pH to 8 AND dumped in 2lbs of Yellow OUT & a gallon of liquid chlorine (10%) and 2lbs of super shock (52%) and the rest of the granulated chlorine I owned (about 4 oz @ 48%); 12 hrs later another lb super shock(52%); 12 hrs later another lb super shock(52%) and another gallon of liquid chlorine (10%). In my chlorine fueled frenzy I think I killed the heck outta the algae AND found this wonderful site--now my pool looks like someone dumped milk in it. Its very white cloudy.

So I got a better test kit today at Leslie's--one step down from the deluxe one because they were out of them (everything says Taylor on it). My algae murdering starting just a little more than 24 hrs ago. These are my first reading with my better test kit

FC 5
CC-I don't understand this (explained below)
pH 7.5
TA 70
CH-230
CYA-seemed to be 0 (could I have done something wrong-the black dot never disappeared & my mixture never got cloudy)

**on CC--my kit only shows to 5 the color I got for TC was much darker than 5. So I don't know how to call it anything but 5 making my CC 0 (RIGHT??)

The longest way to ask---HELP! how do I get my water clear without spending the rest of my hubs paycheck at leslie's?

Dude @ leslie's recommended some pool bright or some such (floc stuff I'm sure) when I bought my test kit.

One important note-- the algae all seemed to be suspended in the water-as is the white now-i swept it all the time but i never really seemed to stir up algae 'clumps' from the bottom or sides (anything past the first step was not visible & still isn't).

Thanks so much for a great & helpful site. I've been telling my hub I think I can do this this with borax, baking soda and bleach because I took enough chemistry in nursing school to understand the main ingredients in all these expensive chemicals were basically grocery store stuff! I just hope I haven't gotten to too off track with the yellow OUT--
 
Welcome to TFP.

Very sorry about your loss. You did the right thing not worrying about the pool. It can be fixed.

I'm concerned about the CYA reading zero. I'm not sure whether to believe that or not.
Can you tell us the model of the test kit you have?

First and foremost, stop going to Leslies. We can definitely save you money over them.

At very least you're going to need to add a FAS-DPD test to the kit you have now. I'd also suggest ordering an 8oz bottle of CYA reagent (R-00013) while you're at it.
 
:wave: Welcome to TFP!!!

As Dave said, that CYA is truly puzzling. After all those tablets and all the random powders you were adding to the pool, your CYA should be sky high.

With the chlorine test you have, you can not really get a good read on the CC and it is limited to a max of 5ppm. As such, you really need to get a FAS-DPD chlorine test which can be purchased separately (http://tftestkits.net/FAS-DPD-Chlorine- ... t-p47.html)

But, really the first step is figuring out what is going on with the CYA. Review the test procedure and make sure it was done correctly.
 
Welcome to TFP.

I am truly sorry to hear about your dog.

You've come to the right place to avoid more pool store expense, and with your background learning this stuff should be a breeze. The guys above have you covered for sure.
 
Thanks everyone--

The CYA was very puzzling to me as well. I agree--it should have been off the charts after only 24 hrs of 4 lbs or so of shock in only 6k gal! so I'm going to redo that test tonight. I'm off to get that additional test kit and some bleach (lots of it) because I used anything with chlorine in it over the last 24 hrs to kill all the green guys. I think vacuuming would be a waste of time right now because if it is dead algae, it's suspended in the water not collecting on the bottom. Its just interesting as to how it's staying a perfect suspension, you would think the colloids would sink eventually? I guess they are so small (microscopic) and water is just that dense.

Tonight I will retest and post better (hopefully) results so I will know exactly why its so cloudy. But trust me, it's 100% better than the swamp it was 24 hrs ago.
 
You're most likely not going to find the FAS-DPD test locally. You're probably going to have to order it. Don't let the pool store sell you just the FAS test and tell you it's the same. They do that a lot. The FAS-DPD test has powder (R-0870) as one of the reagents.
 
Since you are in north Dallas, if you don't mind a little drive, you can get the FAS-DPD test here:
http://goo.gl/maps/h5b9u

DO NOT go in there asking for a FAS-DPD test, they probably won't know what you are talking about. Ask for a bottle of R-0871 and a "bottle" of R-0870. Don't let them intimidate you by asking if you have an account. Just say "no" and make your purchase.

This is NOT a standard Leslie's. It is the commercial supply. You won't find pool floats or anything like that here. They won't test your water for you. It is strictly a commercial supply. I DO know they have these supplies. I typically order from tftestkits.net (Dave can attest to this) but there are times I need things in a hurry, especially if I'm trying to help a friend with a swamp.

Oh, and they close at 5 PM, so you are out of luck today.
 
I do, it's right down the road from me. Again, I only use it in emergencies because I prefer to support the smaller companies like Dave's, but there are those times...

At least I can go in there without ever being asked to have my water tested, to start some magic system that guarantees 5 years of no algae, etc.
 

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Thanks Guys--

your right, I went to my local Leslie's last night and they didn't have what I needed. ALL their kits only go to 5 on the chlorine--even the biggest 'deluxe' kit. So I will try to get by the commercial supply Leslie's today.

I did redo all of my tests this morning and my CYA came out the same. Here's my numbers.

FC (or just Chlorine with what I have) 1.5
pH 7.0
TA 70
CH 230
CYA 0

I purchased my test kit at Leslie's, it's labeled Total Poolcare DPD test Kit 18-576, but everything inside is labeled Taylor.

I turned my filter off overnight just to see if any of the cloudiness would settle. It didn't. Since my chlorine was so low, I dumped another gallon of 8.25% bleach in this AM, I want to keep my levels closer to shock I think right now, just coming off the algae. (don't I?) I guess I will go grab some borax (to raise my pH a little), more bleach & some conditioner today? along with the other test kit. (If I can make it by there by 5 with my schedule). I haven't mapped it yet, I live on Lake Lewisville-in The Colony technically for those who know this area.

I don't understand my CYA except that I was so green & my pool sits in the full blasting Texas sun ALL DAY. Would that deplete it?
 
Maybe I have no CYA because I haven't been using chlorine tabs, but rather liquid chlorine? but I did use granulated chlorine a little & I thought it would have some added like the tabs.

I thought I was screwing up the test, but its not that hard, my solution never gets cloudy when I mix it. & my chlorine is steady disappearing through the day so it seems that my CYA is actually very low.
 
If the chlorine went to zero, then bacteria can consume the CYA. It does not require the pool to be closed. It happened to me when my pool was getting opened and it happened fast within a few days though I caught it before the CYA went all the way to 0. Note the following from the original post:

Texas Who Dat said:
So I turned the pool off--not wanting to burn up the pump--24 hrs later I had a true swamp. Green, green, green.

I was on emotional overload after my beagle passed so I didn't look at the pool for 2 days. By then it was dark dark green and SMELLY!
Click to expand...
This sounds to me like the FC level went to 0, bacteria converted the CYA into ammonia and probably mostly nitrogen gas. The super shock and granulated chlorine that you added sounds like Cal-Hypo since it was 48% and 52% Available Chlorine while Dichlor would normally be quoted as 56% unless it were not pure. So no CYA was added after the CYA went away. You are just very lucky that the bacteria probably converted much of the CYA into nitrogen gas instead of ammonia, or else you would have had to add more chlorine than you did to get things back to normal. The algae may have helped by consuming the ammonia for its growth and you end up removing most of the algae by filtration.
 
chem geek said:
If the chlorine went to zero, then bacteria can consume the CYA. It does not require the pool to be closed. It happened to me when my pool was getting opened and it happened fast within a few days though I caught it before the CYA went all the way to 0. Note the following from the original post:

[quote="Texas Who Dat":1uq483kq]So I turned the pool off--not wanting to burn up the pump--24 hrs later I had a true swamp. Green, green, green.

I was on emotional overload after my beagle passed so I didn't look at the pool for 2 days. By then it was dark dark green and SMELLY!
Click to expand...
This sounds to me like the FC level went to 0, bacteria converted the CYA into ammonia and probably mostly nitrogen gas. The super shock and granulated chlorine that you added sounds like Cal-Hypo since it was 48% and 52% Available Chlorine while Dichlor would normally be quoted as 56% unless it were not pure. So no CYA was added after the CYA went away. You are just very lucky that the bacteria probably converted much of the CYA into nitrogen gas instead of ammonia, or else you would have had to add more chlorine than you did to get things back to normal. The algae may have helped by consuming the ammonia for its growth and you end up removing most of the algae by filtration.[/quote:1uq483kq]

This, my friends, is why you come to TFP.

Without awesome information like this, you could be chasing your tail for weeks trying to figure this out. I would guess most people would just drain and refill the pool after trying everything the pool store told them to buy.

as a side note, thanks again TFP... my pool has looked Chrystal Clear for the last 6 weeks....OK, Done hijacking the thread... back to your regularly scheduled program....
 
Just switched my buddy to the TFP method after 2 years of using pucks. His CYA measured at zero as well. Puzzling to say the least. But that's what it was. I posted about it a few weeks ago. So yes, it can happen.

OP, what are water costs for you? A drain and refill could be a cheaper option on a pool of that size.
 

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